'One Skateboard at a Time': How Chapman Skateboards Creates a Skate Deck From Scratch

Having been manufacturing skateboard decks since 1991, Long Island, NY-based Chapman Skateboards have been the number-one supplier of skateboard decks for the largest East Coast skate brands including Zoo York, Hopps, Supreme, Infamous and a host of other smaller brands.

By the looks of the outside of the factory, you would think that their facility–roughly 40 miles east of Brooklyn–is just like any other generic wood processing plant. What goes on inside the modestly-sized facility however is responsible for helping shape an entire industry and culture centered around New York City-based skateboarding.

Founded and ran by an actual skateboarder with decades of skateboarding experience, Greg Chapman, the company is more than just your typical run-of-the-mill wood product manufacturing facility.

The company is also well-known for making high-quality single and small-batch orders in the case that you want a particular graphic design to pop-shove around town, display on your walls, or use to launch your own skate brand:

Regardless of how the final product gets to you, the skateboard manufacturer recently released this fascinating video that documents the process of building a professional-quality skateboard from scratch:

“In this short film, we set out to document the complete skateboard production process, to celebrate the people as well as the craftsmanship involved in the making of each of our decks. From the raw maple veneer, to hitting the streets, every hand involved makes #ChapmanWood special.”

Simon is a Brooklyn-based industrial designer and Managing Editor of EVD Media. When he finds the time to design, his focus is on helping startups develop branding and design solutions to realize their product design vision. In addition to his work at Nike and various other clients, he is the main reason anything gets done at EvD Media. He once wrestled an Alaskan alligator buzzard to the ground with his bare hands… to rescue Josh.